Same-sex marriage legislation and implementation: same-sex couples' marital intentions, experiences, and well-being in Taiwan and Hong Kong

Wong, Miu Yin (2024) Same-sex marriage legislation and implementation: same-sex couples' marital intentions, experiences, and well-being in Taiwan and Hong Kong. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

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Abstract

Marriage equality is often seen as a significant achievement for LGBQ+ equality. Yet, beyond its symbolic value, how does legalising same-sex marriage actually impact same-sex couples, particularly when they contemplate and actualize their marriage? This study explores the power and limits of same-sex marriage legislation on same-sex couples’ marital intention, experiences, and well-being. This study first investigates same-sex couples' intentions to marry and their perceived benefits and costs; then, it explores family dynamics as they prepare for same-sex weddings. It also examines the association between the policy, parental acceptance, discrimination, and well-being of same-sex couples. A comparative explanatory sequential mixed methods study, with 821 survey responses and 70 interviews, was conducted with LGBQ+ individuals in committed same-sex relationships in Taiwan (the first in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage) and Hong Kong (where no such policy exists). It is found that same-sex marriage legislation and its implementation can be viewed as a double-edged sword. It provides legal protection and a greater sense of equality and security for same-sex couples. However, the policy has its limitations, particularly in its ability to translate into societal and familial recognition. Social debates over the policy bring visibility to LGBQ+ people, subjecting them to unwanted and often unfriendly attention from colleagues, neighbours, and the community. The policy implementation might even jeopardise their privacy and expose them to discrimination. Legal recognition has raised same-sex couples’ expectations for equal treatment and hopes for family acceptance, but it also exacerbates conflicts with their parents, leading to a new wave of disappointment and family tension. This study contributes to ongoing discussions on LGBQ+ rights and lives following the legalisation of same-sex marriage, as well as evolving marriage institutions and family relationships, and sexualities beyond the Global North.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Additional Information:	© 2024 Miu Yin Wong
Library of Congress subject classification:	H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman
Sets:	Departments > Social Policy
Supervisor:	Hildebrandt, Timothy and Seckinelgin, Hakan and Sheely, Amanda
URI:	http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/4790

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